The seventh year of “La Conti” Groupama-FDJ is now officially underway. In the North of France, Jérôme Gannat’s men kicked off their 2025 season this weekend, with a good result already in the bag. Lewis Bower took fifth place in the Grand Prix des 100 communes on Saturday, then proved less successful on Sunday in the Grand Prix de la ville de Lillers (13th). Next appointment: the Youngster Coast Classic, on March 21.
It was in Vendin-lès-Béthune that the 2025 season of “La Conti” started on Saturday, even if “all the riders had already raced, either with the WorldTeam or individually,” Jérôme Gannat specified. For their first race as a team, the Grand Prix des 100 communes offered a different route from the previous edition. “It was rather flat in the first part then we had a twenty-four-kilometre circuit with a finish almost uphill in the Parc d’Olhain”, Jérôme explained. A relatively classic scenario then set up, although the start of the race turned out to be somewhat hectic for Lewis Bower. “Unfortunately, I crashed in the first ten kilometres and so I had to get on my spare bike”, said the New Zealander. “I had a sore elbow for a bit, but I started to feel good in the last couple of laps”. A few moves took place at this point in the race, but the peloton always seemed in control. “There were quite a few punctures and a selection from the back“, Jérôme added. “We were not spared from mechanical problems. Reef punctured twice, Eliott changed bikes and that made it a bit difficult for the guys to get back. We had Baptiste and Lewis left in a pack of about fifty riders before the finish.”
“The areas for improvement are logical and understandable”, Jérôme Gannat
About twenty riders came out in front for the victory, including Lewis Bower. “The last 500 meters were flat, but with the climb prior, the sprint started from afar”, explained Jérôme. “There was a twisty corner at 300 metres and Lewis got a bit boxed in at that point. He could have hoped for a podium spot, but we saw that Matthew Brennan was really above the rest for the win”. The 20-year-old finally took fifth place on the line. “It’s a good result, my best performance in a one-day race in Europe, so I can’t complain,” he said. On Sunday, the New Zealander hoped to keep his momentum going in the Grand Prix de la ville de Lillers. On a more straightforward course, a three-man breakaway first animated the day. “Titouan tried to catch them, he kept on going for about twenty kilometres, but it didn’t work,” summarized Jérôme. “We thought it would finish in a sprint with an almost complete peloton but 70 kilometres from the finish, a big crash and an acceleration led to splits in the peloton. We weren’t in the first group, so we had to chase to stay in the mix. We spent a lot of energy on this, and when it came back, we lost a few riders.”
In the final into Lillers, only Reef Roberts and Lewis Bower remained in the leading pack. The sprinter from “La Conti” therefore had to fight for position. “He had to make some efforts to get back up, but when the sprint started, he wasn’t too badly placed, he was in good wheels,” said Jérôme. “Unfortunately, he suffered a chain jump and was forced to stop pedalling in the last 300 metres.” This led him to thirteenth place at the finish. “He could have hoped for a little better, but I don’t think the podium was possible,” concluded Jérôme. “We realized this weekend that the youth of the group meant we lacked a little something in the final of those races. Yet, when you put everything into context, we had three riders who were juniors last year and who had never done this kind of distance in a race. Maximilian Cushway was a bit sick too. Those are logical and understandable areas for improvement. There is still this small step to take, but it will come with the succession of races. From now on, several of our riders will race with the WorldTeam and our next race together will be the Youngster Coast Classic at the end of March, where there will be a strong U23 competition”.
